Vacuum cleaners



Aug? 8, 1967 R. w. SEELY ETAL 3,334,371

' VACUUM CLEANERS Filed May 10, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Roberf W. See/y and Thomas C. Butler.

AITORN TY Aug. 8, 1 R. w. SEELY ETAL VACUUM CLEANERS 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed May 10, 1965 INVENTORS Robert W. Seely and Thomas C. Butler.

United States Patent 3,334,371 VACUUM CLEANERS Robert .W. Seely, Anderson, and Thomas C. Butler, Seneca, S.C., assignors to The Singer Company, New

York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed May 10, 1965, Ser. No. 454,620

2 Claims, (Cl. 15-327) This invention releates to canister type vacuum cleaners and, more particularly, to a means for conducting dust laden air from an extension hose through a coupling in the housing of the cleaner and thence to the dust bag, and one of the important objects of the invention is to provide an improved structure of this character.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved means for sealing the cover part of a canister type vacuum cleaner to the lower or chassis part thereof and, at the same time, sealing an intake coupling tube carriedby the cover part to a bag supporting tube carried bythe lower or chassis part.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved means for conducting dust laden air from a flexible hose, through the cover part of a vacuum cleaner and thence to a dust filtering bag supported by the lower or chassis part of the vacuum cleaner.

A still further object of the instant invention is to provide an improved means for facilitating accessibility and also a more efficient channeling of dust laden air from an intake cover portion to a dust filtering bag which comprises an L-shaped tube having a flared portion formed at one end thereof and which portion remains secured to the chassis part of the vacuum cleaner when the cover part of the said cleaner is disconnected from the said chassis part.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, the invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a pre ferred embodiment of the invention, from which the several features of the invention and the advantages attained thereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

In the drawings: 7

FIG.-1 is an elevational side view, partly in section, of a canister type vacuum cleaner embodying the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the hose removed and the cover portion of the vacuum cleaner housing partly raised to render interior portions of the cleaner accessible,

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing a portion of vacuum cleaner shown in FIG. 2, and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIG. 3.

'Referring more in detail to the drawings the invention is shown in FIGS. 1 through 4 as comprising a vacuum cleaner housing 16 having a lower or chassis part 17 and a cover part 18, the cover 18 being hinged to the chassis 17 at 19. The chassis 17 is supported at one end on a single wheel 20 and at the other end by two wheels 21 (only one of which is shown) in a conventional manner, and the cover 18, when in the closed position shown in FIG. 1 is sealed against air leakage by a pair of combination bumpers and sealing members 22 and 23, the member 22 is held to the upper rim 27 of the chassis 17 and the member 23 is held to the lower rim 28 of the cover 18 in a known manner. A bottom wall 29 of the chassis 17 supports a conventional motor-blower unit 31 and the portion 32 of the housing 16 at a location adjacent to the hinge 19 is formed with a cavity (not shown) to receive various conventional nozzle and brush attachments (not shown). In addition to the bottom wall 29, the

chassis 17 is formed, as viewed in FIG. 1 with a front wall 36, a rear wall 37, an end wall 38 and a hinge connected end wall 39. In like manner the cover 18 is formed with a top wall 42, a front wall 46, a rear wall 47, an end wall 48 and a hinge connected end wall 49.

The interior of the vacuum cleaner housing 16 which is defined by portions of the front walls 3646, the rear walls 37-47, and by portions of the bottom wall 29 and the top wall 42 and which surrounds three sides of the motor-blower unit 31 is in the form of a substantially U-shaped cavity 51 for receiving the main portions of a U-shaped dust filter bag 52. The end of the dust bag 52 has a cylindrically shaped intake mouth or collar 53.

The bottom wall 29 of the chassis 17 is formed with a downwardly open pocket 56 for receiving the Wheel 20 and one wall 57 of this pocket 56 is inclined upwardly (FIGS. 1 and 2) at approximately a forty-five degree angle with respect to the bottom wall 29, and another wall 58 of this pocket 56 extends substantially horizontally (FIGS. 1 and 2). A pair of lugs 61 (only one of which is shown) are formed integral with the wall 57 and extends vertically upwardly therefrom. The wall 57 and the lugs 61 are provided with upwardly extending counterbored holes 62 for receiving two threaded screws 63 (only one of which is shown). The upper ends (FIG. 2) of the screws 63 are threaded into holes in the bottom of an L-shaped bag supporting tube 65, thereby securing the tube 65 to the lugs 61. The L-shaped tube 65 has (FIGS. 1 and 2) a horizontally extending exhaust neck 66 and a vertically extending inlet neck 67. The outer circumferential surface of the neck 66 is tapered as at 68 and thereby receives the inner circumferential surface of the collar 53 of the dust bag 52. The upper circumferential terminal of the neck 67 is first flared outwardly as at 71 and then upwardly as at 72 to form an annular pocket 73 (FIG. 3) of such size and shape as to receive an annular washer 74 and the lower end of a flexible preferably plastic intake grommet 76 having a funnel shaped aperture 77 for receiving the lower end of an intake coupling tube 78, the outer lower circumferential edge of which is slightly rounded at 79 (FIG. 3), so as to enter and form an air tight seal with the inner surface of the funnel shaped aperture 77 in the grommet 76. The coupling tube 78 passes downwardly (FIG. 3) through a hole 81 in the top wall 42 and is held in place by an annular slip ring 82 press fitted to the external surface of the main portion of the tube 78 and the ring 82'engages the bottom surface of the top wall 42.

The upper end of the tube 78 is formed with a flange 83 and the outer circumferential surface of the flange 83 (FIG. 3) is undercut as at to thereby accommodate an inwardly extending annular protrusion formed on the inner circumference of a vacuum control ring 84. Because of this, the flange 83 turnably supports the vacuum control ring 84 which has an open notch 86. The top Wall 42, at a location adjacent to the notch 86, has an axially extending auxiliary air intake hole 87. The ring 84 can be turned so as to cause the notch 86 to register with the hole 87 or the ring 84 can be turned to close the hole 87, thereby controlling the vacuum produced by the motorblower unit 31. The upper end of the inner circumferential surface of the tube 78 is formed with two spaced annular recesses 88 and 89 for accommodating retainer rings 91 and 92. The upper end (FIG. 1) of the tube 78 receives a tapered end of an angled hose coupling 94 which, in a known manner, is connected to one end of a flexible hose 96.

In the closed position shown in FIG. 1, the cover 18 is securely held to the chassis 17 by conventional latch members 97 and 98 shown in FIG. 2.

In addition to the above elements, the cleaner is equipped with a preferably molded plastic bag-cover panel 99 which has an aperture 101 through which the upper end of the motor-blower unit 31 protrudes. If desired, the panel 99 may be omitted in that it is not a sealing panel and thus has no functional relationship with the sealing members 22 and 23 nor with the grommet 76 and the tube 78.

The vacuum cleaner 16 functions in the following manner. When the cover 18 is closed and the cleaner is used, the members 2243 engage to seal the cover 18 to the chassis 17. At the same time the rounded circumferential end 79 of the intake tube 78 engages the funnel shaped portion 77 of the grommet 76, thereby sealing the passageway through the L-shaped tube 65 and the intake tube 78 from the main inner portion of the vacuum cleaner 16. The collar 53 connects the dust filtering bag 52 to the horizontally extending neck 66 of the tube 65. When the dust bag 52 becomes filled with dirt, the cover 18 is raised by disengaging the latches 97 and 98 and by turning the cover 18 upwardly on the hinge 19. This exposes the dust bag 52 and facilitates the removal of the same from the vacuum cleaner 16. After the filled dust bag 52 has been replaced by a clean dust bag, the cover 18 is closed and the latches 97 and 98 hold the members 22 and 23 into engagement and the rounded end 79 of the tube 78 in the funnel shaped aperture 77 of the grommet 76.

Having thus described the nature of the invention, what is claimed herein is:

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising in combination, a lower chassis part, a cover part, means connecting said cover part to said chassis part, a motor-blower unit housed within said parts, a dust filtering bag also housed within said parts, a bottom wall closing the bottom of said chassis part and said bottom wall, having an upwardly inclined wall portion, an apertured lug upstanding from the upper surface of said inclined wall portion, a screw passing through the aperture in said lug, an L-shaped tube secured to said lug by said screw, a horizontally extending neck forming part of said L-shaped tube and being adapted to receive said dust bag, a vertically extending neck formed as part of said L-shaped tube, an outwardly flared end formed on the upper end of said vertically extending neck, an annular plastic grommet formed with a funnel shaped aperture, said grommet being secured in said outwardly flared end, an intake coupling carried by the top wall of said cover part, a slightly rounded circumferential edge formed on the lower end of said intake tube, the said rounded circumferential edge of said intake coupling entering the funnel shaped aperture of said grommet when said cover part is connected to said chassis part, and means for connecting a hose to said intake coupling tube.

2. A vacuum cleaner comprising in combination, a lower chassis part having an upper edge, a cover part having a top wall and a lower edge, a hinge connecting one end of said cover part to one end of said chassis part, latch means releasably connecting said cover part to said chassis part, a seal carried by each of said edges for sealing said cover part to said chassis part, a motorblower unit housed within said parts, a U-shaped dust filtering bag also housed within said parts, an intake collar formed on said dust bag, a bottom wall closing the bottom of said chassis part and said bottom wall having an upwardly inclined wall portion, an apertured lug upstanding from the upper surface of said inclined wall portion, a screw passing through the aperture in said lug, an L-shapeed tube secured to said lug by said screw, a horizontally extending externally tapered neck forming part of said L-shaped tube and being adapted to receive the collar of said dust bag, a vertically extending neck formed as part of said L-shaped tube, an outwardly flared end formed on the upper end of said vertically extending neck, an annular plastic grommet formed with a funnel shaped aperture, said grommet being secured in said outwardly flared end, an intake coupling carried by the top wall of said cover part, a slightly rounded circumferential edge formed on the lower end of said intake tube, one.

end of said intake coupling entering the funnel shaped aperture of said grommet when the seals carried by said cover part and said chassis part seals said cover part to said chassis part, and means for connecting a hose to said intake coupling.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,776,726 1/1957 Brace 15327 2,823,761 2/1958 Duff 376 X 2,978,732 4/1961 Hansen 15-323 ROBERT W. MICHELL, Primary Examiner. 

1. A VACUUM CLEANER COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A LOWER CHASSIS PART, A COVER PART, MEANS CONNECTING SAID COVER PART TO SAID CHASSIS PART, A MOTOR-BLOWER UNIT HOUSED WITHIN SAID PARTS, A DUST FILTERING BAG ALSO HOUSED WITHIN SAID PARTS, A BOTTOM WALL CLOSING THE BOTTOM OF SAID CHASSIS PART AND SAID BOTTOM WALL, HAVING AN UPWARDLY INCLINED WALL PORTION, AN APERTURED LUG UPSTANDING FROM THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID INCLINED WALL PORTION, A SCREW PASSING THROUGH THE APERTURE IN SAID LUG, AN L-SHAPED TUBE SECURED TO SAID LUG BY SAID SCREW, A HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING NECK FORMING PART OF SAID L-SHAPED TUBE AND BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE SAID DUST BAG, A VERTICALLY EXTENDING NECK FOEMED AS PART OF SAID L-SHAPED TUBE, AN OUTWARDLY FLARED END FORMED ON THE UPPER END OF SAID VERTICALLY EXTENDING NECK, AN ANNULAR PLASTIC GROMMET FORMED WITH A FUNNEL SHAPED APERTURE, SAID GROMMET BEING SECURED IN SAID OUTWARDLY FLARED END, AN INTAKE COUPLING CARRIED BY THE TOP WALL OF SAID COVER PART, A SLIGHTLY ROUNDED CIRCUMFERENTIAL EDGE FORMED ON THE LOWER END OF SAID INTAKE TUBE, THE SAID ROUNDED CIRCUMFERENTIAL EDGE OF SAID INTAKE COUPLING ENTERING THE FUNNEL SHAPED APERTURE OF SAID GROMMET WHEN SAID COVER PART IS CONNECTED TO SAID CHASSIS PART, AND MEANS FOR CONNECTING A HOSE TO SAID INTAKE COUPLING TUBE. 